STERK SMOOTH, AND TRANSITION TO BIG EAST MUST BE SAME FOR SDSU

The county’s movers and shakers say his blend of experience and earnestness has impressed them from the start.

San Diego State has balanced its budget going on three years. A record 275 student-athletes have achieved a cumulative 3.0 grade-point average in 2012. A school-record tying eight sports have advanced to the NCAA Tournament and/or received Director’s Cup points this season. There have been two consecutive bowl games for the football team and three straight NCAA appearances in basketball.

Sterk’s first two years as athletic director have seen something of a renaissance on the Mesa.

And yet, his legacy hangs in the balance as he attempts to lead the navigation of SDSU football into the Big East Conference.

“It is an important time,” Sterk said. “We need to move and continue to build the momentum we’ve had the last couple years.”

Actually, it’s bigger than that.

Sterk has spent half of May on the road at league meetings for the three different conferences to which the Aztecs currently pledge allegiance. He is trying to get his arms around how the Big East and the Big West can best work for the Aztecs while also trying to remain “a good partner” in the Mountain West.

“Because you never know what’s going to happen,” Sterk said of his juggling act. “… It’s a significant month. We’re in the process of transition, and in the middle of that transition, people are moving the pieces around a little bit.”

The Aztecs have another year in the Mountain West, and there have been matters to address regarding the moves to the Big West for sports other than football. But the big issues revolve around the Big East — will Boise State join the Aztecs in their exodus, which appears more likely all the time, will SDSU be welcomed regardless of whether the Broncos bail, and will the Big East retain enough members to keep its seat at the big-people table?

Don’t worry about the Big East not being what it was when Virginia Tech and Miami ruled. If it were, SDSU wouldn’t be invited. Yes, the Big East has taken its hits, but rumors of its demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

Look, this is San Diego State. Look, we’re San Diego.

This is about the TV markets that will drive the Big East’s new deal. The BE as it is expected to be constituted in 2013 will include teams in three of the nation’s top five markets and six in the top 20. That does not include San Diego (28th).

The new TV contract, expected to be completed by late fall, could be worth $2 billion. Even if that’s high, you must know that the Mountain West couldn’t even dream about nine zeros.

What does Sterk’s legacy being at stake really represent?

Well, only the possible long-term viability of Aztecs football.

This is the most crucial period in the program’s history.

San Diego State led the Mountain West in attendance in 2011, though the 40,000-plus announced average is inflated about 40 percent over actual folks in the seats. Revenue is up two straight years, coinciding with the trips to the Poinsettia and New Orleans Bowls.